Various stakeholders—from the current and previous ministers of tourism and heads of hospitality-related syndicates to restaurant operators and local retail business owners—have all said that tourism was a main driver of the Lebanese economy. Speaking at a March conference on tourism entitled “Towards Sustainable Tourism,” Prime Minister Hariri said he believed that the total contribution…
Lebanese design deserves attention
Design, as the fruit of creativity that enables its user to co-define and express their identity, while optimally matching form and function of a product or process, has been around for as long humans have had the capacity to imagine. Lebanon is a great example for the presence of design throughout the history of people…
Time for a change
In most Arab countries, Mother’s Day is celebrated on March 21. On this day, a woman’s role as a mother, the giver of life and the nurturer, is suitably enough recognized on the first day of spring, the season which marks nature’s rebirth. This is a widely celebrated day in Lebanon, with queues forming outside…
An uninspiring economic vision
In January, Lebanon published slides outlining McKinsey’s economic vision—the outcome of a report commissioned by the Ministry of Economy and Trade in late 2017 following government discussions. The 1,274-slide document was developed over the first half of 2018, and outlines an economic vision produced by the consulting firm and owned by the government. If…
McKinsey’s uninspiring economic vision
In January, Lebanon published McKinsey’s economic vision slides that were the result of government discussions in late 2017 on commission by the Ministry of Economy and Trade. The 1,274 slide show document was developed over the first half of 2018, and can be seen as an economic vision outsourced to the consulting firm with ownership…
Opportunites for new startups abound
Near the center of Beirut sits the heart of Lebanon’s startup ecosystem, the Beirut Digital District. It is mainly here that Lebanon’s entrepreneurs gather to pitch and develop solutions to problems that are uniquely Lebanese, and others that are less so. The country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem today faces challenges that are not insurmountable, and there are…
Lebanon in need of a housing policy
There is a perception among Lebanese that the state is unresponsive to the needs of the public—it’s easy to understand why people might think that. For much of their thrice-extended mandate, from 2009 until May’s parliamentary elections, lawmakers neglected to legislate, the presidency was vacant for two and a half years, and laws that were…
Healthcare sector in Lebanon carrying its own, but still in need of coordined development
If Lebanon were to visit a doctor for a head-to-toe physical, she might leave the appointment with a few prescriptions in hand. A check up on the overall robustness of the nation’s health infrastructure would show the vital signs of the country’s health sector as generally good, albeit with some lingering concerns, such as reports…
It starts with you
A driver throws a sandwich wrapper from his car window onto the street. A pedestrian casually tosses an empty plastic bottle into the sea during his daily morning walk on the Corniche. A family enjoys a lovely day picnicking on the beach or in the mountain and thinks nothing of leaving their trash behind. These…
Beware the bully
It is a wild and wondrous time. Almost a Big Bang moment. If all goes perfectly, Lebanon in April and May 2018 laid crucial seeds for a dual process of political maturation and economic resurrection. The two-month long excitement began with better than anticipated commitments from the CEDRE conference, an immense hope for billions of…